Carpet-sweeper.



PATENTED OUT. 17, 1905.

M. N. KNELL.

CARPET SWBEPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3.1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 801,882. PATENTED OCT. 17, 1905. M. N. KNELL.

CARPET SWEEPER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3.1904

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UNITED STATES PATENT @FFICE.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 1'7, 1905.

Application filed May 3,1904. Serial No. 206,156.

To all whovn it 1nct7 concern:

Be it known that I, MISSOURI NORRIS KNELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elkhart, in the county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in a Carpet-Sweeper, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a carpet-sweeper having a central brush arranged transversely to the path of the sweeper and adapted by its rotation to sweep the dust into suitable pans arranged adjacent the brush and having end brushes arranged at right angles to the central or main brush and rotating so as to sweep the dust into the path of the main brush. The special object of this construction is a sweeper adapted for cleaning out corners and running along a base-board and articles of furniture, the end brushes'throwing the dust and dirt lying in the corners or adjacent walls or pieces of furniture into the path of the main brush, thus avoiding the necessity of using a broom to clean out the dust from corners and along the sides of the room or adjacent pieces of furniture, such as pianos, Sideboards, 620.

My invention also consists in the novel features of construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, particularly pointed out in the claims, and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my sweeper. Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly broken away to show the interior mechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan view, the handle being removed and a portion of the top of the casing being broken away on each side. Fig. 4 is an end elevation, one end corner being broken away and the casing being shown in section. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the spring-plate in engagement with a shaft of the end brushes.

In the drawings, A represents the casing of the sweeper, which may be of any size, shape, and material that may be found suitable or desirable. The bottom of the casing A is centrally cut out, the main brush B rotating in the cut-out portion, and on each side of the brush are the dust-pans A, formed by the bottom and ends of the casing A. The brush B may be of any desired construction and has a shaft portion B, the ends of which are journaled in the sides of the casing A. To the shaft B adjacent each end of the brush B there is rigidly secured a friction-wheel B Plates 0 are secured to the inner walls of the sides of the casing A on each side of the shaft B, and these plates support small inwardly-extending stub-shafts O, on which are mounted the drive-wheels G the said wheels bearing on the floor and supporting the casing A. The drive-wheels C have their peripheries in engagement with the friction-wheels B and the rotation of the drive-wheels C will rotate the wheels B shaft B, and brush B, the direction of such rotation depending on the direction in which the casing A is moved by means of the handle D.

J ournaled in the front and rear walls of the casing A and extending transversely with reference to the shaft B are shafts E. These shafts are loosely journaled in the walls of the casing A, so that the casing has a limited forward and rearward movement with reference to the shafts E. The drive-wheels G are provided with beveled flanges O and on the shafts E, within the flanges of the wheels C are fixed bevel friction-gears E. ()ne of these gears (four in number) is adapted to be engaged by each of the flanged drive-wheels 0 It will be noted that a shaft E is arranged on each side of the casing, and each shaft carries two of the friction-gears E, one on each side of the shaft B. At the ends of the shafts E are arranged the end brushes F. In the sides of the casing A and midway the front and rear walls are pivot-pins G, and the free ends of a wire frame H are pivoted to the exterior or projecting portions of the pins G. To the intermediate portion of the frame H midway its ends the handle D is secured. This handle and frame may be of any suitable construction. To the inwardly projecting portions of the pins Gr are secured depending vertically arranged plate or leaf springs which are twisted intermediate their ends and at their lower ends are bifurcated and loosely engage one of the shafts E.

The operation of my sweeper is as follows: The natural tendency of the end brushes is to remain stationary, since their axial line is along the path of the casing. Referring more especially to Fig. 2, it will be obvious that should the casing be moved toward the right the drive-wheels O wouldrotate in the direction indicated by the arrows and the brush B would rotate in the reverse direction, sweeping the dirt into the dust-pan A on the righthand side. A very slight movement of the casing A with reference to the shaft Ewould throw the flanges of the drive-wheels C on the left-hand side of Fig. 2 into engagement wit-h their coacting bevel friction-gears E, thus rotating the shafts E in such a direction that the brushes F will sweep the dirt and dust into the path of the brush B. Should the casing A be moved in the opposite direction, the drive-wheels G on the right-hand side will be brought into engagement with their coacting friction-gears E and the end brushes F will still be rotated in the same direction as before, while the rotation of the brush B will be reversed and dust swept into the dust-pan shown on the left-hand side of Fig. 2. The spring plates or leaves J normally tend to hold the shafts E in such a position that none of the friction-gears E are in engagement with the flanges C but all are in a position to be quickly thrown into such engagement.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Adevice of the kind described comprising a rotatable brush carried by a casing, rotatable shafts arranged on each side of the casing and at right angles to the brush, means for rotating said shafts in reverse directions, and brushes arranged at each end of each of said shafts.

2. A carpet-sweeper comprising a casing, a main brush carried by the casing and adapted to rotate upon forward and rearward movement of the casing, means for rotating said main brush, brushes arranged in advance of and at right angles to the main brush, means for rotating said brushes in opposite directions to each other on forward movement of the casing, brushes carried by the casing in the rear of the main brush and at right angles thereto, and means for rotating said brushes in opposite directions to each other on rearward movement of the casing.

3. A carpet-sweeper comprising a casing, a main brush journaled transversely with respect to the casing, shafts carried by the sides of the casing and projecting in advance of and to the rear of the casing, said shafts being slidable, beveled wheels supporting said casings said Wheels being arranged in the rear of and in advance of the main brush, respectively. fixed friction-gears carried by the shafts and adapted to engage the beveled portion of the casing-wheels, brushes carried at each end of each of said shafts, and means for automatically sliding the shafts and engaging and disengaging the said friction-gears on forward and rearward movement of the casing thereby continuing the direct-ion of rotation of the shafts, as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with a casing a main brush journaled therein, shafts carried by each side of the casing at right angles to the main brush, brushes carried at the ends of the said shafts, and means for rotating all of the brushes.-

5. The combination with a casing, a main brush carried by the casing, means for rotating the brush in opposite directions, shafts carried by the casing at right angles to the main brush and extending in advance of and in the rear of the main brush, brushes carried by the said shafts, the axial lines of the said brushes being at a right angle to the axis of the main brush, and means for rotating each of the second-mentioned brushes in one direction only.

6. A carpet-sweeper having a main brush, a casing and wheels supporting the casing, said wheels being flanged, shafts carried by the casing adjacent the wheels and at right angles to the main brush, brushes carried by the ends of the said shafts, friction-gears on the said shafts adapted to be engaged by the flanges of the wheels, and means for transmitting rotation of the casing-wheels to the main brush as and for the purpose set forth.

MISSOURI NORRIS KNELL.

Witnesses:

IDA A. CULLIsoN, GRAoE L. KNELL. 

